Everton finally have a point next to their name in the early Premier League standings, after picking up a draw away at Steve Cooper’s Leicester City on Saturday.
Sean Dyche‘s men would have wanted to travel back to Merseyside with all three points in hand, but a late equaliser from Stephy Mavididi for the hosts unfortunately denied the Toffees a first victory in the league.
There were still plenty of positives for the Everton boss to latch onto come full-time, despite the disappointing scoreline, which would have included the standout performance of new signing Iliman Ndiaye who shone throughout even when the rain biblically lashed down at the King Power Stadium.
Ndiaye’s performance vs Leicester
Previously starring in the English game with Sheffield United, but in the Championship, Ndiaye will want to use his debut season with his new employers in Everton to prove he can dazzle and entertain when making the step-up to top-flight life.
The 24-year-old certainly left his impact on proceedings at the King Power in his early quest to prove himself in the Premier League when he scored the opening goal of the contest, having combined well with midfield teammate Abdoulaye Doucouré, before firing home a fierce shot off the post past Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
Away from this stunning strike, Ndiaye was also trying to create openings to help get his teammates in on the goalscoring act, with four key passes notched up, alongside attempting five dribbles to keep the home side’s defence on their toes.
Substituted off with nine minutes left to go in the contest, the Senegalese attacking midfielder would have been pleased with his shift and will now be eager to push on going forward in upcoming league games to add to his Toffees account.
The ex-Blades gem wasn’t the only bright spark in the midfield areas versus Leicester, however, with Dwight McNeil also standing out for the visitors.
McNeil’s performance vs Leicester
Lining up in the lone attacking midfielder spot again behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin seems to be working wonders for the former Burnley man, who picked up a goal and an assist against Aston Villa from his spot the game before travelling to Leicester.
McNeil couldn’t quite join Ndiaye in picking up another strike for his season resume though, but it wasn’t through lack of trying, with four shots registered at Hermansen’s busy net.
McNeil’s numbers vs Leicester | |
|---|---|
Stat | McNeil |
Minutes played | 90 |
Goals scored | 0 |
Assists | 0 |
Shots | 4 |
Touches | 60 |
Accurate passes | 32/36 (89%) |
Key passes | 3 |
Successful dribbles | 2/5 |
Total duels won | 5/11 |
Possession lost | 15x |
Stats by Sofascore | |
Looking at the table above, McNeil was a lively performer for the away side throughout, amassing 60 touches of the ball in total and always wanting to get his side on the front foot subsequently, with three key passes and two successful dribbles also tallied up.
Also winning five duels in the contest to give his game a bit of an added bite, the 24-year-old continues to be one of the first names on Dyche’s team sheet currently, with no minutes missed in the Premier League this campaign yet for the Toffees number seven.
McNeil was handed a 7/10 rating post-match by Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley, who described some of the ex-Burnley midfielder’s passes on the day as ‘inviting’.
Despite both McNeil and Ndiaye performing well, that elusive first three points of the season still manages to evade the Toffees, with Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace up next for Dyche’s men at Goodison Park.
The under-pressure 53-year-old will no doubt go back to the drawing board when it comes to certain players in his starting XI, but both McNeil and Ndiaye are unlikely to be dropped for the test of the Eagles next weekend.
